12.25

OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE619
Optimization and latency reduction
As described in “About latency” in the Audio Basics chapter, you generally want the lowest possible latency, to get
the best response when you record and play in Reason in real time. However, selecting too low a latency is likely to
result in playback problems (clicks, pops, dropouts, etc.). There are several technical reasons for this, the main one
being that with smaller buffers (lower latency), the average strain on the CPU will be higher. This also means that the
more CPU-intensive your Reason song (i.e. the more devices and audio tracks you use), the higher the minimum la-
tency required for avoiding playback difficulties.
Therefore, you may need to adjust the latency. This is done differently depending on which audio cards, drivers and
operating system you are using.
Making Buffer Size adjustments in the ASIO Control Panel (Windows)
If you are using an ASIO driver (Windows only) specifically written for the audio hardware, you can in most cases
make settings for the hardware in its ASIO Control Panel. This panel (opened by clicking the ASIO Control Panel but-
ton in the Preferences-Audio dialog) may or may not contain parameters for adjusting the latency. Usually this is
done by changing the number and/or size of the audio buffers - the fewer and smaller the audio buffers, the lower
the latency. Please consult the documentation of your audio hardware and its ASIO drivers for details.
! Raising the buffer size to eliminate audio artefacts on playback is mainly effective if you are currently using
very small buffers, 64 to 256 samples. If the buffers are already big (1024 or 2048 samples) you will not notice
much difference.
Making Buffer Size adjustments in the Reason Preferences dialog
If you are running Reason under Windows and are using an ASIO driver, or under macOS and are using a Core Audio
driver, you can adjust the input and output latencies in the Preferences – Audio dialog.
D This is done by dragging the Buffer Size slider.
General procedure for reducing latency
The basic procedure for optimizing the latency is the following:
1. Open a song and start playback.
You want to choose a song that is reasonably demanding, i.e. with more than just a few tracks and devices.
2. Open the Preferences dialog.
Under macOS, this is found on the Reason menu; under Windows it’s found on the Edit menu.
3. Click the Audio tab and locate the Buffer Size slider.
! If you are making adjustments in the ASIO Control Panel for hardware with an ASIO driver (Windows only), you
should make a note of the current buffer settings before changing them.
4. While the song is playing, listen closely for pops and clicks and try lowering the latency (Buffer Size).
5. When you get pops and clicks, raise the Buffer Size value a bit.
6. Close the Preferences dialog (and ASIO Control Panel, if open).